Last week your United Way hosted its Annual General Meeting. As we looked back on the last year, there is a lot to celebrate. 

As the pandemic waned, we saw the return of in-person fundraising events, we held our first in-person board meeting and AGM in several years, and relaunched our documentary film series now branded as the Real 2 Real Festival sponsored by the RBC Foundation. 

However, and more importantly, we saw the need for help across our community increase dramatically. The organizations we fund and the individuals we provide direct support to are hurting as the gap between those who have and have not widens. 

To address these increasing community needs, we developed a new strategic plan. “Your Community, Your United Way” is a three-year road map that will see your United Way increase our impact across Simcoe, Muskoka, and the Town of the Blue Mountains. We will focus our efforts on the following priorities: 

1. 1. 1. Build our own internal capacity so that we can meet the needs of the community
      2. Increase awareness of Simcoe Muskoka’s impact on the community’s we serve
      3. Strengthen communities through strategic funding and partnership opportunities
      4. Affect long-term systemic change through advocacy and education 

While this is not a dramatic reset for our organization, it will change the way that we show up and support our community.

The challenges we face are real; your United Way is committed to bringing the right organizations and resources together to address these challenges head on. 

Thank you to our Board for their leadership. Thank you to our staff for living our charitable mission and vision day in and day out. Thank you to our donors, community partners, and volunteers – we couldn’t do what we do without you. 

To learn more about your United Way’s contributions to community over the past year, please take a look at our 2022-2023 Impact Report. 

Sincerely, 

Brian Shelley
Chief Executive & Philanthropy Officer
United Way Simcoe Muskoka